Underneath it All
by aedy
Summary: Brittany, Santana and Kurt are strippers and Puck is the bartender.
1. Chapter 1

**Part One**_  
><em>

_There's times where I want something more  
>Someone more like me<br>There's times when this dress rehearsal  
>Seems incomplete<br>But, you see the colors in me like no one else  
>And behind your dark glasses you're...<br>You're something else _

When people came into the club, all they saw were holes to fuck covered in make-up and clad in tight shiny clothes. They never saw other human beings and, after a while, you stopped feeling human because no one treated you like one anymore. You became just another pretty face with a fake name.

The clients came in and went out, always moving, always changing, but the strippers and the bartenders were always there, unmoving, fixed points in that debauchery where other people went during breaks from their normal lives. Sometimes, it felt like when the night ended, they just disappeared with no one to care about them but themselves.

The main attractions of the club were three strippers (Art, Ana and Annie) and not because they were the best dancers or the best singers, but just because they were the hottest and, at the end of the night, they would be the ones with the most money between the layers of clothes. They were two women and one man, all of them had had great dreams for their future before life had turned into a bitch and fucked them.

Brittany and Santana (Annie and Ana), were a couple, not that anyone cared, but they were each other's safe place, a reminder of happiness and love among the sex and the money. They danced and sang to Madonna and Britney Spears' songs, kissed each other on stage and accepted hands on their bodies that carried money that stole their souls.

Then, there was Kurt (Art) who sang and danced most of the times on his own, occasionally sharing the stage with Brittany and Santana. Kurt didn't have a safe place and there were days when he hated his life so much that he'd step on the windowsill and look down, a jump away from saying enough. Those days, he was happy to share that squalid apartment with the bartender of the club, Puck.

Kurt pulled himself up on the bar-counter and watched Brittany and Santana dance to "Me Against the Music".

Puck automatically passed him a White Russian and Kurt smiled at him in thanks.

"How's it going?" Puck had to shout a little to be heard over the music.

Kurt shrugged. "I have a lap dance in ten."

Puck's hands tightened unconsciously around the dishtowel he was using to wipe the counter. "A lap dance, huh?" he asked, trying to sound like he didn't care.

Kurt nodded, sipping on his drink and crossing his legs to lean a little on the counter.

"Who's the lucky guy this time?"

That question seemed to shut Kurt down. He put his drink down on the counter and didn't look at Puck.

"It's a woman, isn't it?" Puck felt his anger raising. He knew that they weren't supposed to care, weren't supposed to feel anything at all, but it wasn't like they had a button to turn off their emotions, it wasn't like he could stop himself from caring about Kurt. Not when he went home with the guy every day and had to witness how everything was tearing him up inside.

"How can you do it?"

Kurt put on the most fake smile he could muster and fixed his sultriest expression before looking at Puck. "Thinking about you." He jumped down from the counter and disappeared through the sea of dancing people.

Behind him, the bartender felt like he could tear the place up.

Puck had grown to hate everything about the club ever since day one. But that was until Kurt came along, much like a ray of sunshine that had suddenly entered the darkness. He was witty and most of the time a total bitch that wouldn't even let you joke about squeezing his ass, and he had the best voice Puck had ever heard.

Of course, the bold attitude had changed quickly.

After the first month, Kurt had lost his innocence and Puck hated it when he used that 'come and eat me' expression on him. Every day, Noah hated that club a little bit more for what it was doing to Kurt. After the boy's first week, Puck had offered him to move in with him and he really thought that had been the best decision he had ever made.

On the days when he wanted to leave everything behind and just go away, one look at Kurt reminded him that he had a reason to stay even though Kurt had stopped looking for love, had stopped believing in the future. There were times when Puck would get home just in time to pull the boy back from the window and he was scared out of his mind that one day he'd be too late.

He wanted to have with Kurt what Brittany and Santana had with each other. The two girls left the club everyday hand in hand, whispering to the other "I love you"s as if as soon as they stepped outside of the club, everything changed, everything looked a little bit better. Puck wished he could be that safe place for Kurt, but Kurt had shut out everyone. The boy was close to Brittany and Santana and, obviously to Puck, but he never let anyone in all the way and the bartender wanted in. Puck wanted to know every inch of Kurt's soul but as long as they worked in that place, it was never going to work.

His eyes caught Kurt leading a woman up the stairs, holding her hand, and he felt sick. Kurt wasn't supposed to do things like that. When he had started, all he had to do was go on the stage and dance teasingly, but then the singing came, and then the stripping and by the start of the second month he was giving "private lap dance", almost never looking anyone in the eyes anymore.

Puck loved going home with Kurt, watching a movie with him, hanging out with Brittany and Santana when they all had their day off, all of that just to pretend for a little while that they could have a normal life. But it was an act and Puck had started believing that it was never going to turn into reality.

"Hey, you ok?"

Brittany's voice pulled Puck out of his thoughts and he looked at the blond girl smiling at him worriedly. "Yeah, Brit, thanks."

"I saw Lady Face leave with a woman." Santana sounded as annoyed by the fact as Puck himself was. "I hate when he does that."

"We sleep with men, San."

"I know Brit." Santana kissed her girlfriend softly on the lips and entwined their fingers. Then, she turned to Puck. "Maybe you should tell him."

Puck put on a confused expression that he was pretty sure wouldn't fool anyone. "Tell him what?" He started wiping the bar counter from invisible spots just so he wouldn't have to look at his friends' faces.

"That you love him," Brittany cut in, smiling. "So we can go on double dates without pretending that we are all just friends."

"I don't think he'd ever see me like a potential boyfriend." He didn't waste time on pretending that it wasn't true that he loved Kurt, there was no point in denying the obvious.

"Why? Because you work here? Man up a little Puckerman, would you?" Santana put on her best bitchy attitude and glared at him. "Maybe he's just waiting for someone to show him that he's worth more than this," she waved at the dance floor behind her, at the half naked dancers and the shouts from the customers.

"San, we're never going to get out of here."

"We are going to." Brittany leaned forward on the counter. "We have a plan, are you in?"

Puck smiled at the blond girl and wished for a moment that he could really believe that they had a way out. "What's the plan?"

"We're thinking of going away. We've been saving for a while now and we want to leave this city."

"I can't come," Puck said, shaking his head.

"Yes, you can." Santana's grin turned into an actual smile. "We'll get Kurt out as well."

Puck shook his head harder. "There's no way out. Wherever we go, this fucking place will follow us. Can't you see what it does to him?" He looked up towards the stairs where Kurt had disappeared. "It's not going to stop tormenting him just because he leaves."

"So what?" Santana narrowed her eyes and gripped the edge of the counter tightly to stop herself from hitting Puck in the face. "You just want to let him keep going? How long till the day you stay at the grocery store a moment longer and you go back home only to find him on the concrete outside your condo?"

"Shut the hell up!" Puck hit the counter with his fist and glared at Santana. "Go fuck someone and get out of my face."

Brittany slid her hand into Santana's, entwining their fingers together. "C'mon. It's better if we go change for the next number." She looked at Puck almost apologetically but Puck just turned to a new customer and started fixing him a drink.

"I just wish he'd see that if we don't leave, we won't last much longer." Santana's voice was full of regret and sadness when she spoke and she squeezed Brittany's hand to remind herself that she had a reason to keep going.

Brittany brought their lips together into a gentle kiss before leading her girlfriend towards the changing rooms at the back of the club.

*GLEE*

Kurt kept his eyes shut even when nails dug deep into the skin of his back. He pictured Puck smiling at him on his first day of work, asking him if he was old enough because he looked about twelve. He squeezed his eyes a tad bit tighter and he was able to see that little flirtatious smirk on Puck's face when he had moved in with him.

He started singing a song in his head and if he concentrated hard enough, he was almost able to drown out the screams of the woman underneath him. He bit his lips and pictured Puck kissing him, imagining what it would feel like to be kissed by someone he liked just for once.

The woman left him 100$ in his pants when they were done. He threw away the condom and pulled his pants up before sliding down on the floor. Leaning his forehead on his knees, he told himself that he wasn't supposed to cry, he wasn't supposed to care because he was only doing his job, it shouldn't mean anything.

He heard the music of "Toxic" start and he smiled, knowing that Brittany and Santana would be on the stage. He wanted to have someone that loved him like Brittany and Santana loved each other so badly, but he was pretty sure that he had lost his chance for a happy life when he had set foot in the orphanage.

He pulled himself up and wiped his eyes before walking out of the private room. He made his way through the dancing people and ignored the hands grabbing his ass. He walked straight to the bar and put on that fake smile.

"I just made one hundred bucks!" he yelled at Puck who just looked at him like he was disappointed. Kurt averted his gaze and said, "I'm going home. That was my last client. I'll see you later." He turned around and walked away before Puck could reply anything.

There were times when he wondered what his parents would say if they knew about what he was doing. He remembered that once he had said to a girl that was in the same orphanage with him, that he didn't believe in God because no God would leave kids in places like that. Now he knew that he _couldn't_ believe in God.

He still remembered when the nuns would tell them that their parents were looking after them from Heaven but if he believed in God, then he believed in Heaven and he couldn't stand the thought of his parents knowing what he had done with his life.

Kurt pushed his way through the crowd and walked out into the cold night air of Seattle. He tried not to think of the woman's cheap perfume still attached to his skin, he tried, and failed, not to think about Puck's disappointed gaze.

He started walking towards the apartment he shared with the bartender telling himself that he could pretend that he wasn't completely falling into pieces for just a little longer.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: This is probably going to be in 2 parts. Thanks to QueenOfCitrus for beta-ing this for me.  
><em>**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part Two**

Life had a funny way to put people on their paths and sometimes Kurt was sure that destiny, if there was such a thing, was just a series of bad events that brought you to the point where you are so miserable that you can just move forward because you've reached the all time low.

When Kurt was eight, he was sitting in the backseat of his parents' car humming one of the Little Mermaid's songs while his dad drove them home from the restaurant where they had just celebrated his birthday. Even years later, he could still see his mom turning around with a smile and start singing along. He could also remember the blinding light and the excruciating pain that came a few seconds later. He woke up after a week in a white room, he was alone and his head ached.

A doctor told him he had hit his head and been asleep for a while but that it was all going to be okay very soon. And then a strange woman walked inside the room and smiled at him, her hair was styled into a untidy braid and she spoke for several minutes about a new home and new friends and life getting back to normal in a little while. Again, he was promised that everything was going to be okay. He never believed any of them and life never proved him wrong.

Growing up in a orphanage was exactly like people expect it to be; he was alone most of the time, had only a few things and when a family finally chose him, he started getting tossed around from one family to another. The last family he lived with was when thing got from bad to worse; they never made him go to school telling everyone that he was home schooled while truth was that he had to work for his foster father. When he turned eighteen and left he had big plans and even bigger dreams but soon enough Kurt found out that almost never going to school made it impossible to get a good job. He made his way to Seattle with a guy he knew from the orphanage and found his job in the club in the same way.

Santana once confessed him that she would have liked to be able to say that what had happened to Kurt had happened to her because when your life was ruined from your parents, those same people that were supposed to love you unconditionally, it hurt more than anything else in the world. It made you wonder who was ever going to love you if your own flesh and blood couldn't.

Brittany had been different from them, she hadn't been broken from foster homes and abusive parents, she had left home on her own conditions, had gone to LA and tried to be a dancer because that was her biggest dream. A broken leg had put that dream to rest one month after she had moved under the blinding lights of the city of angels. Her boyfriend of the time moved to Seattle for a job and Brittany followed him meeting Santana on the first night in town. Brittany asked her where she worked and when Santana said in a club, she decided that was the closest to her dream job she was ever going to get. Santana still blamed herself all the time, saying that if Brittany had never met her, she would be better off. Brittany always answered that she was okay because she had Santana and loved someone that loved her in return and that was all that mattered to her.

Kurt was jealous of them sometimes because they got something good out of all that crap while he couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

When the door of the apartment opened, Kurt looked away from the window seeing Puck walking inside. He smiled and ignored the way Puck's eyes shot to the window before focusing on him. "How was work?" He asked instead.

Puck shrugged, hung his jacket on the back of a chair and took a seat next to Kurt. "The usual shit." On Mondays Kurt had the day off while Puck still had to go to the club until one in the morning. "How was your day, dear?" He asked, smirking a little.

Kurt's smile widened and he relaxed against his friend's side. "I slept pretty much all day, it was great."

Puck's eyes fell on the notepad resting in Kurt's lap and before the boy could notice and hide it away, he grabbed it and felt anger and sadness overtaking him. The pages were filled with sketches of clothes and Puck had never been one interested in fashion but even he could tell they were good. He hated the world a little bit more in that moment because Kurt was supposed to be out there becoming someone.

He felt gentle hands prying the notepad from his grasp and then a soft kiss against his shoulder. "It's okay," Kurt whispered before getting up. "I haven't eaten yet, I was waiting for you. Do you feel up to go get something?"

And Puck knew the argument was closed, they weren't going to talk about Kurt's sketches or their jobs, or their lives, they were going to act the role of normal people and pretending was so much easier for them all. He found himself nodding and getting up. He pulled his jacket on and waited by the door for Kurt to get changed.

Kurt walked out of his room wearing loose jeans and a long sleeved shirt, he always tended to dress as different from his work clothes as he could. He slipped on his jacket and smiled up at Puck before getting two hats from the hallway hanger. He put the red one on Puck's shaved head and kept the blue for himself, pulling it down until it was covering the point of the his ears. "Are you ready?" he asked smiling and didn't wait for an answer before opening the door and walking out in the hallway.

They got out on the street and started walking side by side in a comfortable silence until they reached the all-night diner at the end of the street. They took their usual table and Kurt asked Puck for his phone and called Brittany and Santana who agreed to meet them there in a few minutes since they lived a couple of blocks away.

"Hey guys," Pamela, the red-haired waitress that always worked the night shift, greeted them with a warm smile. "What can I get you?"

Kurt ordered a salad and turkey and Puck burger and fries. Pamela left to go place their order and get them two Cokes, and they started talking about the book Kurt was reading and Puck's new song.

"I think you should send a demo to someone," Kurt commented before taking a sip from his glass. "I mean, I'm not a critic, but I love your stuff."

"When did you hear my music?" Puck asked confused.

Kurt shrugged. "I hear you all the time, the walls aren't that thick, you know?" He smiled at Pamela when she got back with their food and he waited for her to put down the plates and leave before he turned back to Puck. "So, are you going to ever send a demo?"

Puck shook his head. "You know that I tried that before getting the job at the club."

"I do, but you also told me that you were working there just until someone signed you." He stole a fry from Puck's plate and looked expectantly at him. "The other day, while I was tidying up, I found one of your demos. I listened to it and I think that even though it may use some more work, it's really good." He paused to pop another fry in his mouth and then smiled brightly catching out of the corner of his eyes Brittany and Santana walking by. "So I sent it to a label."

Puck dropped the half-eaten hamburger in the plate and stared at Kurt open mouthed. "You did what?"

"I sent your demo to a label. I don't know if they will call you, but hey, you've got to try, right?"

Just as Puck was about to ask him what the hell he was thinking, Brittany and Santana walked inside the diner and headed for their table. Santana pulled Puck out of the booth and pushed him into the side where Kurt was sitting, then she sat down, pushing Puck's plate towards him and pulling Brittany down next to her.

"Evening, ladies," she greeted with her usual sarcasm.

The diner was empty except for them and another costumer so Santana waved to Pamela and asked for their usual before looking back at Puck and Kurt noticing how the first was glaring at the latter. "Okay, what did I miss?"

"Why did you do it? I mean, it's none of your business, Kurt."

Kurt's eyes narrowed in anger. "I wanted to help you, Puck, there's no need to get angry."

Puck scoffed and shook his head. "What about when I try to help you? If I tell you to say no at the club you ignore me, you don't want to talk about your sketches and..."

"That's different," Kurt quickly interrupted him. He turned away and asked Brittany, "So, how is it going?"

"Kurt," Puck's voice was cold and held a warning tone. "You had no right. When they will call just to tell me that I suck, I'm the one who's going to feel like shit, not you."

"What if they call you to say that you're good?"

Silence fell between them and they stood staring at each other until Kurt lowered his gaze and said, "You don't have to stay here because of me."

"What..."

"I know that you think I'm going to break without you, but I managed all right by myself until now." He paused and glanced briefly at Santana and Brittany who were doing a poor job of pretending to be looking around for their food. He lowered his voice and looked at Puck again. "When you get back home, you always look at the window first. You're waiting for me to jump but even though I lost hope of things ever getting better, I don't want you to feel like my keeper. I'm not going to do it," he added in a whisper. "This may be your chance out and I want you to take it."

Puck stared at him and Kurt started to feel nervous. He was used to people staring at him because they wanted to sleep with him, but having someone just watching him with such open affection in the eyes made him feel inadequate. He cleared his throat and pushed Puck until he was standing so he could get out of the booth and leave.

"I'm not going to apologize for what I've done," he added, before getting his jacket and his hat, waving to Pamela, Santana and Brittany before leaving.

"What is it exactly that he did?" Santana asked.

"He sent my demo to a label." Puck sat back down in the booth and put his head on the table. He felt stupid and a jerk.

"And you got angry at him?" Brittany asked confused. "I don't get it."

"See, Brit," Santana started and her cutting tone was back in place. "Puck doesn't want to tell Kurt that he loves him, so Kurt thinks that the only reason why Puck doesn't want to leave it's because he'd feel guilty if Kurt topped himself." She shook her head smiling bitterly. "You guys are always talking shit about girls talking about their feelings, but at least we don't waste chances for stupid pride."

Puck knew that he deserved it and that Santana was right but he felt completely out of his depth. He wasn't one for big declarations, he wasn't sure he could ever offer a better life to Kurt but there was something in the back of his mind, telling him that maybe Kurt didn't want some sort of knight in shiny armor saving him, but just someone that honestly cared about him, that could show him he was worth being loved.

"I should find him and talk to him," he said, turning his head to the side and staring at Santana and Brittany. They both nodded and Puck promised himself he was going to fix this.

* * *

><p>Things went back to normal after that. Puck went home and found Kurt already asleep and the next day it was like nothing ever happened and Puck had no idea how to approach the subject. He lost so much time wondering about how to do something that he ended up doing nothing at all.<p>

He kept watching Kurt working at the club, kept pretending everything was still okay whenever they were home or out with Santana and Brittany and the more time passed, the easier it was for Puck to pretend that things were never going to change.

A month later he came back home to find a parcel waiting on the small coffee table they had between the secondhand couch and the third-hand television.

Puck frowned down at it as if waiting for the thing to open itself and announce its content. A label said that the parcel was addressed to him and Puck finally picked it up, weighing it in his hands before flipping it over. On the back, in bold black letters, there was written Sup Pop Records and Puck felt the breath catch in his throat for a moment.

"KURT!" he shouted and less than a second later Kurt was standing at his side, smiling brightly.

"Did you open it? God, I'm so curious. C'mon, open it!" Kurt grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly, his eyes completely focused on the parcel.

"It's not good."

"How do you know?"

"It doesn't weight anything."

Kurt rolled his eyes, the smile still firmly in place. "Please, you don't need lot of paper to say, 'We think you're great and your music is going to be the best thing we heard in the last decade.' Open it!"

Grinning, Puck asked, "The best thing in the last decade?"

"Yes. Now c'mon."

Puck took a deep breath and slid his finger under the lid. He told himself he was ready to read yet again that his music wasn't good enough, but no matter how much he had prepared himself to get a negative response, he had also been unable to stop hearing Kurt's voice saying that he was great, that he could make it, to keep trying.

He slid a sheet of paper from inside the parcel and his eyes quickly scanned the page. It wasn't long, in fact it only said that they had listened to his demo and Puck knew it meant he was out. However he heard Kurt shout and himself being pulled into a tight embrace.

"Is this your way of cheering me up?"

"Why would you need cheering up? You got yourself an appointment with a manager." Kurt buried his head in the crook of Puck's shoulder and squeezed tightly. He felt Puck's arms finally closing around himself pulling him closer. He closed his eyes and savored that brief moment where he was getting the chance of sharing something so important with the boy he loved.

"I got in?" Puck asked against the skin of Kurt's neck.

"You did."

He raised the hand in which he was still holding the letter and finished reading it.

'_We listened to your demo with great attention and we think you are ready to get an agent and record your music in a professional studio. We__'__d like to have you meet one of our agents and discuss a contract. Call one of the numbers you will find at the bottom of the letter. We hope to hear from you soon.__'_

Puck started laughing, squeezing the letter in his hand and clutching Kurt with his other arm. "I got it!"

Kurt pulled back, his eyes sparkling and his lips stretched into a wide smile. "You did!"

It felt great to stop surviving and finally start living again. He hugged Kurt and then said, "I have to call."

"Absolutely." Kurt pulled back and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.

Puck stopped and stared at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just happy. Your big chance, finally."

"And I owe it all to you." The smile vanished from his face then. "Kurt, I'm sorry for what I said. I..."

"Forget about it. I know you weren't really angry. C'mon, make that call, now." Kurt pulled the phone out of Puck's pocket and grabbed the letter from his hand quickly dialing the number. When he heard the first ring he passed the phone to Puck and then listened to him making arrangements to meet with a manager the following Tuesday. He felt happy for Puck despite the fear of loosing his best friend starting to spread inside him.

* * *

><p>Kurt was lying down on the couch staring up at the ceiling. The now familiar feeling of being lost and lonely were tormenting him making him feel like there was nothing more to him than his past. He glanced at the window that Puck had nailed shut two nights before.<p>

He had been so happy that night, having finally signed a contract and quit the job at the club, and Kurt saw the smile slipping away as soon as Puck stepped inside their apartment and saw him sitting on the windowsill. He didn't want to jump because Puck would drown in regrets and because he didn't want to be one of those people he read about and commiserated. He wanted more, he just needed to figure out a way to become more.

Of course he hadn't had the time to say that to Puck because next thing he knew he was being pulled inside and thrown on the couch while Puck went to the bathroom and came back with the hammer and some nails. He could still see the fear in Puck's eyes, the frantic way in which he moved.

Loud knocking pulled Kurt out of his thoughts and he glanced at the door thinking for a moment about not answering; then he heard Santana's voice yelling at him. Sighing, he got up from the couch and went to let her in.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking at her half expecting to hear about some catastrophe.

"I was talking with Brittany and she asked me why."

Kurt frowned wondering why Santana thought he knew what she was talking about. He asked as much and got an angry huff in return.

"Why we're still here. Kurt, we've been working in that shit hole for so long and I saw the tips you make."

Fighting off the familiar shudder that assaulted him every time he thought about the club's patrons, he sat back down on the couch and calmly asked, "What's your point?"

"Don't you get it? Puck is out." She looked at him with wild eyes, her chest heavy. "We were kissing and she just asked me why don't we just get you out and leave. We have the money and..."

"Santana..."

"No, listen. I left my girlfriend home to come here and tell you to stop playing the victim. We are all fucked up, Kurt, but there's nothing stopping us from being more. You gave Puck his chance, let us give you one."

"It's not the same!" Kurt shouted angrily.

"You are talented, you have to do something."

"I can't go to college, I can't get a decent job and..."

"Those are excuses," Santana spat out. She felt disappointed because Kurt was supposed to want to fight, to want more and he was just making up excuses. "We are quitting."

Kurt's eyes widened. "What?"

"Tonight, as soon as the club opens up we are going there and quitting." She took a deep breath and stared right at Kurt. "Come with us."

Kurt shook his head, it was happening all so fast. Puck was having lunch with his agent getting ready to move on with his life and now Santana and Brittany were leaving too and...

"I'm asking you why." She paused until Kurt was looking at her again and then added, "Why are you still there? You have money saved up, don't you?" At Kurt's nod she smiled. "Then let's go. Puck is getting away and we are going with him and he won't have the courage to ask you, so I'm doing it for him. He loves you, leave with us."

Santana waited for a few long moments to make sure that Kurt had listened and was considering, then she turned around and left to go home.

Kurt sat there for a long time, staring down at the cup rings on the old coffee table. The most unreal thing, he found himself thinking, was not that they were all moving on, but that Santana had said Puck loved him. He shook his head because he knew that was never going to be true. Puck just didn't want him to jump off the window but that was because they were friends, there really was nothing else to it. Having Puck return his feelings would be the first good thing in his life and he doubted that life and destiny really wanted him to have that.

* * *

><p>Puck was still smiling by the time he was back home. He opened the door of the little apartment singing under his breath. His eyes didn't go to the window when he stepped inside and not just because he had nailed it shut in a moment of clouded mind, but because he wanted to trust Kurt. He felt happy and he wanted to share that with him.<p>

Santana had called him while he was still at lunch to tell him that she had talked with Kurt and they were quitting the club. He felt like things were turning to the bright side.

He heard the shower running and, after leaving his jacket on the back of a chair, he walked over to the bathroom and knocked loudly.

"KURT!"

"WHAT?"

He chuckled at the yelled reply without even knowing why he found it amusing. "HOW LONG UNTIL YOU COME OUT?"

Instead of another shout he heard the water being turned off and a minute later the door opened and Kurt stepped outside wearing his fluffy white robe. His skin was flashed because of the heat of the shower and his eyes were clear and bright and Puck felt himself finally caving into his feelings.

"How was the meeting?" Kurt asked heading towards his room.

Puck followed him while answering. "It went great! I asked my agent if Seattle was the right place where to start and he told me that it was okay but that if I was up to moving, their branch in Chicago would be more fitting for my style."

Kurt's back stiffened and he clutched in his hand the jeans he had just picked from the closet.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Puck asked uncertain. He took a step forward and then his eyes fell on the red jeans Kurt was holding. "Why are you putting those on?"

"Work." Kurt cleared his throat and started again to put his outfit together.

"What do you mean work?" Puck narrowed his eyes and grabbed the jeans from Kurt's hand throwing it down on the floor.

"Puck..."

"No, what the hell Kurt?"

Kurt sighed exasperated. "What?"

"Aren't you going to quit?"

"And do what, Puck? God, you and Santana think it's so easy to move on. I have no..."

"Do you think that just because you didn't finish high school you can't be someone? I'm sure that the first designer never attended a design school. You don't need that. We are going away and you will get a different job so you can go to school in the evening and get your diploma."

Kurt was about to tell him to mind his own business when he remembered Santana's words, about making up excuses and Puck loving him. For a moment, he wanted to believe it. He looked at Puck and noticed for the first time the look in his eyes. He was upset because Kurt wasn't following him, because Kurt wasn't trying to have a better life.

"I..." He trailed off and tried to put order to the jumbled thoughts in his mind. "Why do you care, Puck?"

"Because you're my friend, Kurt," was the instant reply. And Kurt was ready to admit that he was a fool to believe that they could ever be more, but then Puck added, "And because I want you to come with me and the girls. We can start over and I want you there."

Puck took one final step towards him and his hand came up to cup his cheek. "Don't you want better than this?" _Better than this shit hole apartment and fucking with strangers and feeling empty,_ Puck added in his mind.

Kurt hesitated, lowered his eyes and almost talked himself out of it. It had been so long since the last time he had been brave, since the last time he had really wanted something for himself, but that chance with Puck, that chance at living again, that one lucky event, he wanted to have for himself.

He looked back up at Puck for a second before leaning up and closing his eyes to finally feel Puck's lips against his own.

He felt Puck's free hand come to rest on his hip, pulling him closer and the fingers of the one still cupping his cheek trace down his neck while Puck's lips moved slowly but decisively against his. Puck's fingers trailed down Kurt's arm until they reached his hand and, a moment later, threaded through his fingers.

Kurt pulled back slowly a silly grin playing on his face. He rested his forehead against Puck and then laughed.

* * *

><p>They took things slowly after that first kiss. The next day Santana called to ask if Kurt had seen reason and when Puck told her that Kurt finally understood that there was more to life than being a stripper in a seedy club, she had laughed saying that it was time they got over themselves and got together.<p>

Being with Kurt was different from what Puck was used to because it wasn't about sex but lazy evenings watching TV and eating junk food, and walking to their diner and kissing each other while Pamela smiled at them, and waking up together and walking down the street holding hands. He wanted Kurt and he was sure Kurt wanted him back but Puck also knew that considering where they came from, jumping into bed right away was the worst thing they could do. So he waited and it didn't even feel like a burden.

Things changed on the last night in their apartment, a little over a month later. The next day they were catching a flight to Chicago and saying goodbye to a part of their lives that they just wanted to forget. It was Kurt who deepened their kisses and led him to their room.

He stopped next to the bed and smiled at Puck a bit shyly. He said "I love you," in a quite whisper almost afraid of Puck not returning his feelings. But when Puck said it back, without a pause or a doubt, Kurt grabbed his hands and threaded their fingers together. "I want you," he whispered, his voice low making Puck shiver.

Puck didn't ask if he was sure because the way Kurt was looking at him was answer enough. He cupped Kurt's face and kissed him, feeling Kurt's hands grab his hips to pull him closer. He let his hands trail down Kurt's back and then took a step backwards feeling the edge of the bed against the back of his knees.

When he pulled back to take a breath he found Kurt smiling at him and couldn't help but grin back while his hands slid under Kurt's t-shirt and pulled it up over his head. He kissed down Kurt's neck paying attention to that spot behind Kurt's ear that he knew would drive the boy crazy.

He felt Kurt's fingers undoing his belt and pulling his shirt out and while his mouth laced on Kurt's collarbone, he pulled the string that held up Kurt's sweatpants.

Kurt opened Puck's shirt and slid his hands down the boy's sides and then across his chest and up to his shoulders and pushed Puck's shirt off of his shoulders. He slid his arms around Puck's neck and kissed him, a soft moan escaping him when their bare chests collided together.

He felt Puck's hands trailing down his back, his fingers sliding inside the waistband of his boxers and sprawling over his ass. Kurt pulled away from Puck's mouth to quickly unbutton his jeans and then hooked his fingers inside Puck's briefs and pulled them down along with his pants. Pushing at Puck's shoulders, he made him lie down on the bed and then straddled his lap.

Kurt took hold of Puck's wrists and pinned him down just staring into the deep hazel eyes trying to catch his breath. He couldn't remember the last time he had been with someone because he wanted to and not for work. That thought made him feel dirty and he pushed it away, not letting it taint what was happening in that moment.

He felt Puck's hands settle on his hips in a gesture that felt both caring and possessive. Finally, his lips curved into a smile and he reminded himself to live in the moment, to just let himself feel the love Puck felt for him. He lowered his head slowly and brought their lips together in an intense kiss while Puck's hands slid on his ass and kneaded his flesh.

His hands tightened their hold around Puck's wrists and he let his tongue tangle with Puck's before he bit on his lover's lower lip and pressed down with his hips.

"Too much clothes," Puck panted, pulling back. He slipped his hands inside Kurt's boxers and quickly pulled them down letting Kurt kick them off.

He felt Kurt's hands travel up and down his thighs while Kurt's mouth made its way across his chest, closing around a nipple. No matter how many people he had had sex with, nothing had ever felt so intense. The passion and the love and all the waiting, amplified every sensation making Puck gasp and pull Kurt closer.

When one of Kurt's hands sneaked between them and closed around him, Puck arched his back and moaned loudly. "Fuck."

Kurt released his nipple and smiled down at him, mischievously and amused and then kissed him softly, almost playfully. "That's the idea," he murmured and squeezed Puck's member before starting to slowly slid his hand up and down. He put his mouth right next to Puck's ear and licked his lobe. "I've never wanted anyone this much."

And that was all it took to Puck to speed things up because Kurt whispering to him, touching like he was doing, and the amazing feeling of having Kurt's naked body pressed tightly against him, was driving him mad with lust. He let go of Kurt's ass and blindly reached towards the nightstand grateful that when they had started sleeping together they had picked his room and not Kurt's.

He knocked over a few things and made Kurt laugh again. When he finally managed to pull open the drawer just as Kurt ran his thumb across the head of his dick, he quickly grabbed a condom and the bottle of lube and handed everything to Kurt who stopped thrusting against him.

Puck looked up at Kurt and almost begged him to keep going. He saw fear in Kurt's blue eyes and it made his heart ache. He pulled himself up on his elbows and kissed him softly, murmuring against his lips, "I love you." And he couldn't remember the last time he had ever said that to anyone, actually meant it. But Kurt smiled and nodded and he knew that he had said the right thing.

Kurt grabbed the condom and put it down on the bed before reaching for the lube and coating his fingers. He sat back on his heels and stared at Puck with so much passion that Puck moaned again, spreading his legs.

Kurt's clean hand slid up Puck's leg, his fingers digging into the flesh of Puck's thigh before he closed his fist around Puck's member again and started pumping slowly while he used the coated fingers of his right hand to circle Puck's opening.

"Shit," Puck swore because it had been so long that it felt like he was rediscovering everything all over again. He felt Kurt's finger slip inside him and his hands clenched into the sheets.

Kurt was careful and took his time opening him up while his hand kept stroking his cock with slow torturous strokes.

When he was ready to beg Kurt, he felt Kurt withdrew his fingers and then heard the condom being opened. A moment later Kurt was guiding himself inside going slowly as not to hurt Puck and to keep himself from coming.

Puck let go of the sheets and brought his hands up on Kurt's shoulders and Kurt looked up from where he was entering Puck and their eyes locked and Puck had never had anyone looking at him that way, with passion and love and need and happiness.

"This is... so much more... then I have ever... ever felt," Kurt panted out, his voice broke from the moans. With one final thrust he got completely inside Puck and then stopped, taking a deep breath and never looking away from Puck's eyes.

Then Puck closed his thighs around his waist and Kurt smiled and pulled back only to push again inside a second later. He felt Puck's hands dig in his shoulders and he put his hands on either side of Puck's head clenching the sheets in his fists and starting to slid in and out in a steady rhythm.

**Six Months Later...**

Kurt ran up the stairs two at a time the smile that had broke on his face in the shop still firmly in place.

Once upon a time Kurt thought that life was just a series of unfortunate events but he, Santana, Brittany and Puck had been living in Chicago for almost six months now and things were great. Santana was working with Brittany in a small dance school that had opened just a year before and was looking for teachers; Puck was booked in most of the clubs in town and his agent was sure he was going to make it very soon.

Kurt was attending school in the evening and working in a small shop during the day. It was a little clothes store owned by a woman in her sixties. Mrs. Harrison didn't care that Kurt still had to finish high school, all she cared about was that Kurt worked hard and he always managed to sell something, plus she loved his sketches.

Quickly opening the door, Kurt threw his keys in the bowl on the little table close to the door and then shouted for Puck.

They were sharing a flat with Santana and Brittany, a two bedrooms place that looked like a palace to them. When they arrived to Chicago, they decided that it was stupid to have two apartments and so they decided to share until they were really settled in. The living arrangements worked perfectly and it looked like it was going to be a very long time before either of them decided to move somewhere else.

Puck walked out of their bedroom yawning. "Where's the fire?" he asked sarcastically.

"Mrs. Harrison said yes!" Kurt yelled. He ran up to his boyfriend and kissed him quickly before starting talking again. "I showed her the new sketches I drew last night and..."

Puck smirked lazily. "You mean the ones that fucking with me inspired?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and pushed away Puck's wandering hands. "She said that they are great and that I can work on them," he went on as if he hadn't been interrupted. "We don't sell lots of the stuff she makes so she said I can try. I have to make a few pieces and see how they go. If I sell enough, she will let me continue and will give me a rise!" He threw his arms around Puck's neck then, almost sending him down on the floor.

Puck laughed closing his arms around Kurt's waist. It was great to see Kurt so happy, the broken boy from Seattle was a distant shadow that was further and further away with each passing day. "I'm happy for you."

"Thank you," Kurt mumbled against his neck.

"When you're famous, I'll be your kept boy."

Kurt pulled away laughing. "Please, you will be famous before me."

Puck kissed him while they were both smiling and nothing had ever felt more right and good than what they had in that moment. He kissed Kurt over and over again because life was good and they had all the time in the world.

They heard the door opening and then Santana shout at them to get a room while Brittany laughed and called them adorable.

Kurt was finally able to believe that things did get better and that despite what life may throw at you, there wasn't only loneliness and pain. He had Puck, Santana and Brittany reminding him of that every day.

**The End**

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN:_ _This was the first time I ever wrote top!Kurt, but it felt the right choice for the fic so I just went with it. I hope it didn't completely suck. After all, this was the first time I wrote a stripper fic too :) I hope you all liked the story and thanks for reading! _  
><strong>


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